GB604147A - Apparatus for reading textile relief patterns and facilitating the reproduction thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

604,147. Pattern-reading mechanism for card punching machines. WOODS, C. P, Aug. 10, 1945, No. 20548. [Class 142(i)] Pattern-reading mechanism for a card punching machine comprises a series of rockable feelers 5 for traversing patterncarrying material 1 fed past them, there being a relative rocking as between the feelers that contact the pattern and those that do not, the relative lengths of the arms of each of the feelers enabling a magnified movement of each of the longer arms to be obtained from a pattern of which the rises or depressions are relatively small, being e.g. of the order of the thickness of a coat of varnish. Each feeler has a projection 5b for contacting the material 1, and is attached to the vertical arm of a spring mounting 37 the horizontal arm of which is attached to a support strip 38 which is adjustable vertically on a frame member 35. The material 1 is supported on a base 4 and. rollers 3 and is fed stepwise past the feelers 5 by sprockets 28 driven by ratchet mechanism, the feelers being held clear of the material while it is moving, by a member 79. The sprockets 28 engage side tapes 29 which carry weights 6, 7, the forwardly depending stretches of the tapes being connected to the forwardly. depending stretch of the material 1 which carries a weight 31 at its rear end, the weights 7, 31, together balancing the weight 6. The top edge 5c of each alternate feeler 5 is offset to form two rows of edges which are associated with two rows of vertically-movable index rods 46 through the eyes of which pass laterally-movable hook members 54 which are connected by cords 73 to the needles of the card punching machine. When a feeler engages the pattern, its top edge acts as a stop for the associated index rod 46 thereby raising the corresponding hook member 54 so that it is not actuated by the corresponding brander knife 55 when the latter is oscillated, and thus causes a hole to be punched in the card of the repeating machine. The member 79, ratchet mechanism, index rods 46, and brander knives 55 are all actuated in synchonism by cam means operated from a common driving shaft. In a modification, the feelers act as a make or break control for electrical or magnetic means for causing or controlling the punching of the cards.